Louisville’s Lamar Jackson named ACC Player of Year

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Louisville junior quarterback Lamar Jackson is the repeat selection as the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, the league announced Wednesday.

NC State senior defensive end Bradley Chubb was recognized as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.

The award winners were chosen by a vote of a select 45-member media panel and the league’s 14 head coaches.

Jackson – also voted the ACC’s Offensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row – leads the nation in total offense with 4,932 yards and total offense per game (411.0). He is on pace to set ACC season and career records for total yards per game and season records for total yards. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner currently leads the conference in both passing (3,489) and rushing yardage (1,443) and is bidding to become the first quarterback to lead the league in the latter category.

The Pompano Beach, Florida, native is the first player in Louisville history to have two seasons with at least 1,300 yards rushing. Jackson is now responsible for 116 touchdowns in his career (42 this season), tying Clemson’s Deshaun Watson (2014-16) for second on the ACC’s all-time list.

Jackson is the sixth student-athlete to be named the ACC Football Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons and the first since Florida State’s Charlie Ward in 1992 and 1993. Jackson is also the first FBS player to throw for at least 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in consecutive seasons. He is a finalist for a number of national honors, including the Walter Camp National Player of the Year.

Jackson led the overall ACC Player of the Year balloting with 51 votes. Chubb was named on six ballots, while Clemson defensive linemen Clelin Ferrell and Christian Wilkins each received one vote.

Jackson’s margin was even wider in the Offensive Player of the Year voting, where he was the choice on 57 of the 59 ballots. Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant and NC State all-purpose back Jaylen Samuels each received one vote.

The Wolfpack’s Chubb leads the ACC in quarterback sacks (10) and ranks second nationally in tackles for loss (26). The Marietta, Georgia, standout’s senior season has assured that he will graduate from NC State as the program’s all-time leader in both categories (26 sacks, 60 tackles for loss).

A 2017 first-team All-ACC selection, Chubb was voted the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week three times during the regular season. He is a finalist for both the Chuck Bednarik and Bronko Nagurski Awards, which are presented annually to the outstanding defensive player in the nation, as well as a semifinalist for the Ted Hendricks Award presented to the nation’s top defensive end. He was also a semifinalist for the Walter Camp National Player of the Year.

Chubb led the ACC Defensive Player of the Year balloting with 45 votes. Clemson’s Wilkins and Farrell were the next closest with four votes each.